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The needless creation of outrage and widespread displeasure are the cornerstones of This Blog. With that in mind It would today like to pose a ludicrous question: Are West Brom better than Chelsea?*
*Before reading on, let it be known that whilst this piece focuses its venom on Chelsea, it could just have easily been aimed at a whole host of other big name clubs at home and abroad. And really, nothing bad is said about Chelsea here - The Blog is just using the name in the hope of generating controvesry and hits - is that so bad?
Whilst Chelsea have scored a record 21 goals in their opening five games, alongside securing maximum points, West Brom have been more than happy with a comparatively meagre 7 points from their opening games. There is also the small matter of a 6-0 win for Chelsea against the Midlands club on the opening day of the season.
For all intents and purposes then, no, West Brom are not better than the London giants. They have never won a European trophy, they have not won a league title in decades and their squad does not currently possess the likes of Didier Drogba and Michael Essien.
However, the fact that West Brom do not out-perform Chelsea in terms of traditional measures such as silverware and playing ability does not negate their claim to...err 'betterness'.
Trophies are the measurement created by The Establishment - of which Chelsea are a part - and it is therefore relatively obvious that they will be judged successful on that basis - if you decide what success is, you mould it around yourself.
When you tear aside that arbitrary notion of what success is though, you quickly begin to realise that West Brom are successful in a number of ways that Chelsea are not.
Firstly, the Baggies are not in massive debt - or, have not had to be bailed out by a billionaire benefactor.
This Blog does not begrudge Chelsea their titles, but it does reserve the right to carry a sense of moral superiority when it hears their fans celebrating them. What's more, their claims that their team did not 'buy the title' are on the absolute side of ludicrous - their first title in 50 years did not merely coincide with Roman Abramovich's arrival, dear readers.
Baggies fans too, represent a strong claim to greatness for West Brom. The Hawthorns regularly achieves full attendances, in spite of the clubs comparatively large amount of defeats. Why is this an achievement - surely it just demonstrates a lack of sense on the part of those fans? Well, yes, but it also suggests that there is something innately likeable (id est I have no explanation for it) about West Brom as a club and a team.
A better writer would think of more reasons as to why West Brom should be considered 'better' than Chelsea - and there surely are many more reasons on offer - but This Blog has grown tired of constructing this overly lengthy piece which carries only really one point: success is not necessarily what we are told it is - West Brom are, in some ways, a better team than Chelsea.
For more similarly ill thought out writing visit my website: http://www.surrealfootball.com - go on, click: why won't you click?!
Also, follow me on Twitter @SurrealFootball Go on, you know you want to.
 
Comments
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Posted by solayman on 09/21/2010
there is no way west bromwich is better than chelsea who ever said that there were dreaming
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Posted by Ethan D-R on 09/21/2010
Yeah, his writer is a clown.
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Posted by Baggiefan on 09/21/2010
Money the route of all evil.
West Brom are a proper football club who only spend what they have got.
What satisfaction do Chelsea fans get when they can just sign any player from anywhere in the world.The older true blues tell me they dont like it and much prefer the glory days of the sixties and seventies when the players came through the ranks.If this country was run like the Albion then we would not be in the mess we are in.
SOLD YOUR SOULS TO THE RUSKIES !!!!
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Posted by Bushy on 09/21/2010
What a ridiculous piece! Are you bored?
West Brom are a club who get promoted every couple of years, hardly invest and seem happy to get relegated straight away. Do you think their fans are happy? I work with two of them and they are very frustrated as the club seem to have no interest in retaining top division status. Chelsea were an established top club before RA arrived already playing in the CL, but yes they were in a serious financial mess. I have nothing against the baggies but you really need to think through what you are writing, a very strange comparism to say the least
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Posted by BaggieBird on 09/21/2010
As a baggies fan I can safely say that we are not better than Chelsea, or in fact half of the teams in the premier league.
The article (as pointless as it may be)looks at how WBA are a self sufficient club. There is no millionaire and billionaire backer like virtually all of the teams in the premier league, even Bolton and Stoke have multi-millionaires bank rolling them. So in terms a traditonal run club we are probably the best of what is left.
If we got a backer would I be happy, to be honets I am not sure. The problem is what happens when they get bored? do we end up like Portsmouth? What happens to Chelsea when Roman Abramovic gets gunned down buy the russian mafia?
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Posted by Ethan D-R on 09/21/2010
I'll try harder next time.
A couple of points:
West Brom do in fact look to have cracked the Premier League this time around - at the same time as maintaining financial stability.
And just because a club doesn't invest heavily (beyond their means...) does not mean that they have "no interest in retaining top division status".
Finally, yes, I am bored. Pieces that spark controvesry are a) more interesting and b) get more readers and comments.
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Posted by Ethan on 09/21/2010
@baggiebird: Thank you for taking the time to understand the point of the piece.
I - for what it's worth - would hate West Brom to be taken over by a billionaire.
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Posted by Steve Palmer on 09/21/2010
Is inanity your forte? To offset your 'argument' Chelsea have the highest attendance to capacity percentage in the Premiership, the only non sell- outs have been due to oppo fans failure to fill their allocations. Chelsea have NO debts than to their owner, so how he pays himself is up to him, I guess. ALL teams have 'bought' the league, Man U had consistently outspent others whilst acculmulating their titles, Liverpool were benefactors of the Littlewoods pools/catalogue empire and bought freely. Only the magnitude has changed...and inflation accounts for the majority of that. Its idiots like you and the bile that is propounded about Chelsea that make clubs like West Brom comparably more 'likeable'. Get real mate, delusion will do you no favours, neither will the green eyed monster!
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Posted by Bushy on 09/21/2010
Ah, I never mentioned investing heavily...we would all love a stop to the ridiculous wages, etc, which could end up evening things up a little. But that's never going to happen and there are always ways round that.
I do understand your points, perhaps I wasn't so good in realising them in the way you put it over.
As for RA going, I am sure he will sooner or later but the club should have a strong footing to keep building on as this has been the aim for a while now - after the initial mad spend it has calmed down and once you take away all the idle transfer talk, Chelsea don't actually buy many players at all each season.
Anyway, I hope the baggies stay up for a good few years, being an exiled southerner to Staffs this is one of my more local away games!
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Posted by Ethan on 09/21/2010
@Bushy: We're all friends here haha!
For me, the piece was more about expressing the successes of WBA than putting down Chelsea.
I've certainly got no problem with Chelsea.
Thanks for the comments - always nice to get reasonable feedback.
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Posted by Paul on 09/21/2010
This is nonsense - Chelsea cannot go out and buy any player in the world. Many they are not prepared to pay exorbitant prices for, clubs will not let their best players go and many simply do not want to go to the club for various reasons. Gone are the days of big spending, last summer the club actually returned a profit on transfer deals. Also Chelsea are cutting their wage bill and many high earners like Joe Cole, Michael Ballack, Deco, Ricardo Carvalho have been allowed to leave. This season will see the youth team players nurtured at the club's youth academy come through more. These are all sensible well though out moves by the club, but the media will find an angle to berate the club and the public will read it or listen to it and believe it. So people - look further to get an informed opinion.
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Posted by Ethan on 09/21/2010
@Paul: There is no berating here! Just trying to stress WBA's less obvious successes.
Chelsea are increasingly a well run club!
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Posted by Ethan D-R on 09/21/2010
@Steve Palmer: Insanity IS my forte!
As I pointed out in the piece: "*Before reading on, let it be known that whilst this piece focuses its venom on Chelsea, it could just have easily been aimed at a whole host of other big name clubs at home and abroad"
Which I believe counters your points about others having invested heavily and won the league - I had only used Chelsea as an example and I tried to make that clear.
The piece was about showing up some of WBA's less obvious strengths.
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Posted by Maresca on 09/21/2010
Unfortunately "The Hawthorns regularly achieves full attendances," is not a true statement. There have been a lot of empty seats this season. The club needs to have a rethink about its ticket prices. People can't afford £40 to watch a football match.
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Posted by Ethan on 09/21/2010
@Maresca: You're right about this season - might put a bracket into the piece.
My brother got a Birmingham season ticket for £100 less than a WBA one.
Thanks for the comment.
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Posted by Adam Yardley on 09/21/2010
Whilst it may seem ridululous to ask if West Brom are a better team that Chelsea the question of whether West Brom are a better club is a fair one. West Brom, like many smaller clubs cut that don't have the money from rich (and often dodgy)foreign benefactors, cut their cloth according to their finances and often out perform their privaledged neighbours.
Furthmore their fans are less likely to be fickle armchair glory hunters and consequently are bound by a sense of belonging that hightens any actual success they have.
Finally smaller clubs like West Brom invest in academies that are more likely to nurture local talent and do more community work.
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Posted by JimDavis on 09/21/2010
Christ Ethan - Last week your blog had "please read me" in the heading, and now you are trying to pull in Chelsea supports without being arsed to complete what ever your point was. If it is hits you need, why don't you just do what everyone else does and get your relatives to keep clicking on the site.
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Posted by Ethan on 09/21/2010
I like you, Jim.
I don't need the hits - I get nothing extra for having people read this stuff.
The not being arsed bit was a joke.
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Posted by Westdan on 09/21/2010
May I agree that I would HATE to see West Brom taken over by a billionaire.
I'd probably have to turn to non-league football, how the national sport became a rich man's hobby is beyond me.
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Posted by Ethan on 09/21/2010
The 'please read me' was a joke too.
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Posted by Duudley on 09/21/2010
Everyone is allowed to ramble especially in a blog. This is why the premier league isn't the most attractive league to be- too many fans taking themselves too seriously comparing who has the biggest wiener!
Couldn't give a hoot about Chelsea and many ways the big time attitude makes it all the better when we get results like those at home this season. Did you see us burning our tickets after the 6-0. No because we don't watch the results with jeff- we are the club- bigger than one match or one season. That's difficult to achieve when half your fans live in Timbuktu!!!
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Posted by baggieinmanc on 09/21/2010
I think a lot of Chelsea fans have missed the point here (although it is an inflamatory article). No one thinks the Baggies are better than Chelsea. However Chelsea and other major clubs around the continent wouldn't hold such a monopoly on the trophies if they didn't have the same amount of money. There is pride in what the Albion have acheived and we are a ray of hope to countless clubs throughout the country who don't have a sugar daddy. Baggies fans never expect to win anything so how can we be jelous of Chelsea? Big club fans on the other hand think that a season without a trophy is a failure, so how happy can a fan be when they do win a trophy? At the end of the day when we play Chelsea or Man U or Liverpool the rest of the footballing world want us to win (bar Wolves), not because they're jelous but because they want to see the money bags side fall. The reason is because there is no honour in buying success. There is honour in an underdog battling against fortune and arrogance.
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Posted by Baggie9 on 09/21/2010
A few facts> we are are founder members of the football leugue,we won 5 FA cups before Chelsea won the first in 1970also 4 before Liverpool won the cup.WE have never gone bump.Chelsea resent history is down to Russian money.
PROUD TO BE A BAGGIE.
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Posted by Ethan D-R on 09/21/2010
There's not an actual competition between WBA and Chelsea though.
I now feel a bit guilty - this was not meant as a dig at Chelsea.
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Posted by Craig on 09/21/2010
May I just add, as the previous comments have stressed that a lot of clubs would love to see WBA (or any other "smaller club") beating the so called big clubs in the premier league, this becomes extreamely difficult, not only because of the gulf in quality but because of the standard of refereeing. I'm sure many of you will have seen WBA giving Liverpool as good as they got in their recent game at Anfield only to see themselves lost 1-0 and have no more then 3 clearcut penalties turned down! May I also add that none of these incidents were shown on MOTD! I feel personally that this is the real reason that video technology will not be introduced into the premier league because they will nolonger be able to manipulate matches in favour of the "big clubs!"
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Posted by J yates on 09/21/2010
Ridiculous article...West brom will always be a better team than chelsea....unless of course chelsea starts to run the club without a huge benefactor forking out millions.....ANYBODY..can have a successful team if they have pots of money.......But for the rest of us...we have to use our brains and good managerial sense.
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Posted by Adrian Poole on 09/21/2010
Read Adrian Chiles Brilliant book "We dont know what were doing" and all will be revealled. I am a West Brom fan who lives five miles from Old Trafford. I have never once thought of moving my alligence to Manchester United. I have seen all my friends celebrate Manchester Uniteds greatest triumphs, and yet I feel sorry for them, for supporting a team which has had its heritage and greatness diluted by american ownwers. I love West Brom and have loved them in the Premiership, Championship, and the old 2nd division, how many United fans would travel to Macclesfield to watch them play Chester as Chester has no ground, and marvel in a last minute winner infront of 20 Chester fans and 3 thousand West Brom fans, Not many. I love my team win lose or draw, I have celebrated much and suffered even more but the journey has been littered with so much character and drama that i wouldn't swap for a premiership title. Read Adrian Chiles book and you will understand.
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Posted by John on 09/22/2010
"What's more, their claims that their team did not 'buy the title' are on the absolute side of ludicrous - their first title in 50 years did not merely coincide with Roman Abramovich's arrival, dear readers." - Couldn't have said it any better. Anyone could win the league with a 20mil investment in every position of their team(chelsea), but it just doesn't seem worthy of respect from other teams..
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Posted by OxfordComma on 09/24/2010
Obviously the author isn't claiming West Brom are better at football than Chelsea...instead that West Brom might have more reason to be proud in their football club. Success is relative.
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Posted by Craig D on 09/26/2010
Not better than Chelski but we are better than Arsenal LOL
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Posted by Olumadu on 09/26/2010
Drogba vs. Odenwingle, who comes up top? That's the decided factor and answer to the question. Chelsea vs. Broms today, will yield a different result - judging by the mood of things.
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Posted by Bode Usuv on 09/30/2010
Holy crap! awryt,i am a jolly good fella so i will drink my glass while it is half-full. So, while we are at it(piling on crap for talk sake),may i add that WBA is better than chelsea (take note: the negligence of capitalization is very much intended)because:
*clubs like chelsea are all about themselves-no sense of sacrifice whatsoever for the good of the game, while clubs like WBA had enough decency and goodwill to submit themselves to occasional whipping,for the good of the game,which if i may add,is what makes the premiership the best league in the world?
*WBA are better because people identifies with their occasional little success and get inspired to become better than it,more than they are likely to be buoyed by a money-backed bully clubs' success like chelsea (WBA,when they carve out a win,characterize a British version of the AmericanDream,which does a lot of good to potential wannabe deviants whom are given the inspiration that they just might pull down a giant with 1 mo shot
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Posted by Boon on 10/09/2010
Hey,
I am a english soccer fan for over 30 years - but a Singapore fan from half the world around!
West Brom can't match Chelsea or other big clubs of today, in term of results. However, looking at it this past century, West Brom is certainly a big part of the english soccer traditions. They deserved to be mentioned and to keep themselves in the top league!
I supported them in the 1970s when starting out to follow english soccer and, despite most Asians supporting the big four, I still do keep my faith with the Albion club today! This is why, West Brom is a great club and my family loves them..
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Posted by kelechi on 10/09/2010
From my little corner, Westbrom are never better than the current champions of England, from the goalkeeper to the defender, the midfielders & to the attack, talk about the management, the owner, the fund. Their are many ways in which Chelsea is better than Westbromwichers.
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Posted by Boon on 10/18/2010
Hey, in the recent decade, you do not hear much of West Brom making the headlines or winning major silverwares.
However, it was a founding member of the english football league over a century ago and had their share of winning ways before Chelsea (or even Liverpool) got their limelight.
I am an Albion fan from half way around the globe here in Singapore (for those who do not know, its a small island country in Asia) since 1970s as I like the tradition and very down to earth team culture of West Brom.
Enjoyed the old days of Tony Brown and then Bryan Robson, etc.
Best wishes for WBA this year back in Premiership and doing very well so far. Beating and matching the Big 5 is impressive. Keep it up West Brom - stay focused and you can maintain the good form!
Cheers from Singapore!
and, the chinese communities here
Boon
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Posted by OJ on 10/18/2010
Has anyone who commented (particularly chelsea fans) actually read past the title?
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Posted by Aaron Mark Hendrix on 10/20/2010
Im a MAN UTD fan and would like to congratulate you BAGGIES FOR AN OUTSTANDING DISPLAY THUS FAR!! The 1st game not withstanding,everything else has has been excellent. Di MATTEO has done a good job,and in my humble opinion,if we had played 10mins more in that Utd Baggies game,it would most likely have been 3-2 to you. Respect to you and your club and best wishes for the season..
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Posted by Mike on 12/07/2010
I think most chelsea fans just read the title..
I can make a team better than Chelsea could ever field if I had more money that Chelsea to spend..The Big four (and I am a Liverpool supporter..because that is my families local..and would never switch) these days win their silverware because of the money..not like in the old days when it was local boys playing..when you cheered on your next door neighbour..then he turned up next week to fix your plumbing...sadly those days are long gone..Money does the same for a team as drugs do for an athlete...enhance performance well past the areas natural ability..it also stunts the rise of local players. When huge quantities of the premier league are foreigners..
Posted by blogs.soccernet.com on 05/13/2011
Are_west_brom_a_better_team_th_1.. Great idea :)
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About
Matthew Evans: I've supported West Brom all my life, and it's fair to say that they give me my fair share of ups and downs. I'm always guaranteed an emotional rollercoaster of a season whatever division the Baggies are in. I try to remain positive in my views on Albion, although that is impossible at some points. My favourite Albion player of the moment is Youssuff Mulumbu, and of my lifetime it has to be Super Bob Taylor.You can follow me on twitter @MattEvansWBA
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